At long last, I resurface! Hey, sorry and all that! ;) You know what, I'm gonna keep it short (I have an exam on Wednesday I'm not quite ready for yet), so here it goes... Sorry about my usual and then some absence. I'm working on it, and you know, new year, new me, right? Well, starting next month I'll try XD But for now, I have this for you!
This is my Secret Santa gift for PurpleDolpin05, I hope you like it!
Okay, so if the characters seem a bit OOC, my apologies. But then again, we don't really see that much how Roman and Riker are with each other when not on a mission, so who knows ;)
Anyways, ENJOY!
Roman stared up at the darkness above him, willing -yet failing- to keep him mind blank. It was a good past midnight, though sleep still felt miles away. Sighing, he let his eyes wander around the latest hole that their father had decided to call home. It was so different from the warm house he'd grown up in, with their mother's handmade crafts decorating each wall.
You're still sharing a bunk bed with Riker, his mind provided in an attempt to steer him away from thoughts of his mother. The other option wasn't all that better, causing Roman to sigh once more.
Something that felt suspiciously like a finger poked him through the mattress as his twin's voice travelled up from the lower bed,
"Roman?"
"Hmm?" Roman hummed as answer, though the room was deadly quiet for a moment. Roman actually though the slightly younger boy had fallen asleep when he spoke up again.
"You're still thinking about Rufus, aren't you?"
Of course Riker would figure it out.
"Yeah, me too..." Riker continued, taking Roman's silence as the 'yes' it was.
Earlier that they, Roman and Riker had babysat some of the youngest of their siblings. Roman had been fully occupied of trying not to laugh as the youngsters ganged up on Riker, quite literally throwing themselves on top of the older shapeshifter. Roman probably had more fun at his twin's expense than he should've. But moment like that with their siblings, getting squashed or not, was a much rarer experience than it had used to be before their father's unfortunate visit to Mighty Med.
It had been just about then, that Rufus had approached Roman. His twin sister Robyn had been only inches behind him, nudging him forward encouragingly. Sensing something was up with duo, Roman had crouched down to their eye level, though he hadn't expected the question that fell out of the six-year-old's mouth.
"Roman... are we evil?"
Riker's head had snapped up in shock and he'd shared a look with Roman, none of them sure what to say. Though luckily, Riley had appeared in the doorway telling them dinner was ready.
"You know, Robyn's kind of reminding me of Reese with that gap in her smile." Riker mused after a moment, snapping Roman from his thoughts.
Robyn had always been similar to the oldest girl in the family, sharing the exact same shade of brown eyes. And now when Robyn had lost both her upper front teeth, making it look like she had run headfirst into a wall, the similarities was even more present. Though Reese had, unlike Robyn, actually ran into the wall.
"Well, back when she was little and sweet," Riker continued. "And not as intimidating."
Roman laughed and rolled to his side, leaning over the edge to look at the other boy.
"You're scared of our sister?" he asked with smirk.
"Pfft," Riker sounded and threw a pillow at his brother, barely missing his face. "Like you aren't."
Roman chuckled, flipping back onto the bed. Though as his eyes once more glued to the ceiling again, another sigh pushed past his lips.
"Okay, enough with this pity party!" Riker suddenly exclaimed, jumping out of bed.
"What?" Roman asked, frowning down at his brother.
"I'm getting tired of your mopey sighs, so let's get out of here."
"Are you nuts? Dad would lose it!" Roman protested, staring at Riker like he was insane.
"Only if he finds out. So pipe down and let's go." Riker said, extending his hand towards his twin.
Moments later the duo found themselves in a park. Roman couldn't help but notice that it was quite similar to the one they used to go to as kids. Closing his eyes, he could almost here it. The squeaking of the swings and thumping of the balls accompanied by his siblings' laughter and the rapping of their footsteps as the rushed across the park. More often than not, the older siblings had ended up in charge when their father disappeared elsewhere. Except than it had been to help people in need rather than plot his own revenge.
As the brothers sat down on a pair of swings, both relishing in the surprisingly soft night, Roman couldn't help but think about Rufus's question. Evil? Despite everything that's happened, everything he and his family had done and were plotting to do, he'd never really used that word. Maybe their actions were a bit over the top, but they were justified. No matter what that Elite Force claimed...
Their father had lost his powers. No, not just lost them. Someone had taken them from him. Just like that. Freaking normos, what did they even know?! Sure, maybe losing their father, wasn't something Roman would prefer, but still... After their mother's death being a superhero had pretty much everything to their father. Sure, he had his kids. But for him, they had just as been thirteen painful reminders of what he lost.
Clenching his fist, Roman felt his anger rise as he thought about Kaz and Oliver. The nerve they had! What gave them the right to decide what was worse?! They probably wouldn't be so grateful if someone came and took their legs, or whatever, away. Save their lives or not, Roman could bet they would protest. Though he had thought that Skylar at least would have understood their father's pain. Though then again, she was probably more normo than superhero by now.
"Roman...?" Riker asked quietly, once more pulling the older boy from his thoughts. Seeing his twin eyeing his clenched fist, Roman slowly relaxed them.
"Rufus again?" Riker guessed and Roman nodded.
"I just don't get it Riker." he mumbled. "Sure, Dad, we, we're villains, I don't deny that. But evil? That's a whole other wheelhouse. I mean-... I don't know." Roman sighed, unable to put word to his feelings.
"I do." Riker spoke up with a grin as he pulled out a page from a magazine from his pocket. "12 warning signs that you're dealing with an evil person."
"I don't even know what to say about that?" Roman commented with a nod towards the article.
"Shut up," Riker muttered. "Let's just see if we can pass this, huh?"
Roman made a go-ahead motion, not really know what else to do.
"Okay, number one, 'denying reality'." Riker began. "Nope, we're all for reality. Nothing wrong with our view of it either. What happened happened, what happens happens."
"Sounds about right, I suppose." Roman mumbled as his brother glanced towards him.
"Number two, 'twisting facts... They're ready to take things out of context, they create alternate facts that align their purpose'." Riker read, before shaking his head. "Nah, not really. The facts speak for themselves, why twist them?
"Number three, 'withholding information'. Hmm... Depends on the situation, but not particularly much, right? I mean unless you count Dad, but that's what a kid thing to do."
"I feel like you're twisting the facts right now, Riker." Roman piped in amused.
"Fine, okay, we withhold information. Guilty." Riker admitted, before continued reading. "Number four, 'misleading people'. Who doesn't?"
Roman chuckled, "You're sure an exemplary citizen."
Ignoring his brother's comment, Riker moved on.
"Number five, 'lying constantly'? Well, everybody lies."
"What?" Roman spurted out with a laugh, interrupting Riker before he could jump to the next. "We're did you get that from, some cheesy tv-series?"
"Hey, it's not cheesy!" Riker protested, causing Roman to rise his eyebrows. "But fine, what I meant was that we don't lie more than necessarily."
"You know, I think it's exactly that kind of stuff that's put this thought in Rufus and Robyn's head to begin with." Roman pointed out.
"Okay, no more lying, got it." Riker said, but a smug grin crossed his face. "Maybe we should go home and tell Dad we lied about what happened, what is it now? Ten years ago? You know that little incident we said we had no idea about what happened?"
"Okay, fine, fine!" Roman exclaimed raising his hands in surrender. "I plead not guilty. What's next?"
Looking down at the page, Riker frowned.
"Number six, 'remorselessness'? Eh, skip! Number seven, 'avoiding responsibility'. Excuse me?" Riker looked up at Roman as if the text had personally insulted him. "Have they seen our lives? Oldest ones of thirteen children, how could we avoid responsibility?"
Roman shrugged, "Dad did entrust us with his vengeance for a reason."
"Exactly!" Riker agreed and looked back down. "Number eight, 'manipulating'. Okay, maybe we are guilty for that. But hey, if you know how to do it, most people do it."
Roman laughed once more, "Wow, really Riker? That's my 'none-evil' brother's opinion, that 'everyone wants to manipulate people'?"
"Shut up... Number nine, 'fair-weather friends. You should not except support from these people, if you get support, know that you're being played'. Well, that sounds really cynical!"
"Deserve the support and you'll get it." Roman commented.
"Word!" Riker agreed, grinning at his brother. "Okay, number ten, 'stealing your time. If they know you have some kind of deadline, they will make you lose track of time, they know when to show up and mess up your plans'."
"Guilty." Roman called out before Riker could say anything, causing him to look up incredulous. "For real?"
"You do love messing with people's plans, Riker. Always have." he reasoned and the other boy grinned mischievously.
"So what, I enjoy some harmless pranking, does that really make me such a bad person?"
"I think most people would say so, yes."
"Okay, fine, guilty as charged." Riker admitted and looked at the next one. "Number eleven, 'leading double lives'. Now why would I do that?"
"Because your true life might make you look bad?" Roman suggested, making his brother once more look at him incredulous. Chuckling Roman admitted, "Though, I would say our lives are pretty transparent."
"Okay, last one, number twelve, 'control freaks'," Riker looked up at Roman, grinning. "Now, I'm not one, but I don't know about you."
"Oh, shut up."
"Yeah, yeah," Riker mumbled as he continued to read. "'They will easily get possessive and controlling'." He glanced up Roman, still with the smirk on his face.
"I would shut up and get to that conclusion soon, if I were you." Roman suggests, glaring at his twin.
"'Everybody can possess one or some of these characteristics, blah blah, put them together and you're dealing with someone who is truly evil.' Well, three, four of twelve isn't that bad. I say we pass. Hooray, we're pretty decent people after all!"
"You're an idiot." Roman muttered shaking his head at his brother.
"You're just jealous I found a wat to prove it and you didn't." Riker comments.
"That you're an idiot, yeah."
"Shut up..." Riker muttered, shoving Roman lightly as he rises from the swing. Turning back towards his brother, Riker extended his hand. "What do you say, Mr. None-Evil-Villain, wanna head back home?"
Once they got back home and have both climbed back in bed, Roman turned towards the room, though relented from leaning over to look at his twin.
"Thanks, Riker." he said earnestly.
"Eh, what are brothers for." Riker mumbled as reply, and Roman fell onto his back, looking up at the dark ceiling once more. This time though, his mind was much lighter.
Villains, but not evil, now that didn't sound too bad.
Okay, so this was a random part of my brain I haven't visited in a while... Hope you liked it! Reviews are always appreciated! :)
PS. The article actually exists, I found it on the Internet earlier today. XD
Until next time we met! :) /Libra